Olympic Hot Springs & South

Wandering around Victoria it feels fitting the last place I am spending time in Canada is also the first place I visited here. I say goodbye to Mike, Roger and Canada and jump on the ferry to Port Angeles, Washington. I’ve been living in Canada for over two years now and have throughly enjoyed myself, but I feel that it’s time to move on.

I’ve picked up Mike’s cold and I am tired, hungry and grumpy when I arrive in the USA in the dark – what better place to cheer me up than a Hot Spring? I camp inside Olympic National Park and make my way to the spring first thing in the morning. The walk in is a beautiful couple of miles through thick forest. There are around ten natural rock pools strung out for a few hundred yards above a bubbling creek below. Most pools are about ten feet across, a foot or two deep and right in the perfect body temperature range.

Olympic Hot Spring 1

I soak for hours in the cool morning, thinking about nothing in particular.

Olympic Hot Spring 2

I move slowly down the Washington coast with a couple of days of annoying on-again, off-again rain and before long everything is soaked, even my cold affected mood. Every chance I get I’m drying things on the hood of the Jeep which is very effective – my tent takes only 20 minutes from soaked to bone dry which is a relief.

I get a message on my website from Shane and Amy who spotted my Jeep in a shopping center parking lot. They spent a year driving around the USA and were very keen to meet a fellow road-tripper. On their site, www.ayearatthewheel.com you can read how they drove around the country just before the election gathering thoughts and opinions from people from all walks of life. They did all this with less than $200 in their pocket. We chat all afternoon and long into the night about everything and nothing all at the same time. It’s very inspiring to meet people that are so aware of their surroundings and the choices that can be made every day.

Astoria and the mouth of the Columbia river

I continue south into Oregon and camp a night near Astoria, a beautiful seaside town on the mouth of the Columbia River. The Oregon coastline is every bit as beautiful as I remember and I’m in no real hurry to go anywhere.

10 Responses

Hi Dan,
I just came across a link to your blog over on Expo this morning and have been slowly reading through it today. I’ve got to say, your trip really is inspiring. After a trip earlier this summer I began formulating a plan to take off on the road for a year or more and its good to see that I’m not the only “crazy one.”
I see from this posting that you’re in the process of traveling through Oregon, my home state, and I hope that you’re enjoying your stay.
Keep up the posting as this will now be webpage I regularly check on.
-Ryan

Ya know, I really don’t have a plan. I’d like to visit a number of the national parks and natural areas throughout the country. The desert has always been very interesting to me. I think mostly I just want to get out and meet people I wouldn’t meet, hear stories I wouldn’t hear and just experience life elsewhere.

Love your blog. Found it this morning and have not stopped reading it. I want to do something similar one day, but need to convince the wife first, which will not be an easy feet. Anyway, keep up the good work man. I’m gonna live vicariously through ya for a bit.

CURRENTLY IN: KenyaAFRICA MILES DRIVEN: 47,025EXPEDITION DAYS: COUNTRIES VISITED: 31
Considering the West Africa route?Checkout my eBook Overland Travel Essentials: West Africa for everything you need to know
The circumnavigation of the continent will take about two years, through roughly 30 countries, and cover +/- 80,000 miles.Read More: Africa Expedition Overview

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Dan is an outdoor adventure kind of guy who believes dreams are meant to be lived.
I've set out to drive my Jeep Wrangler 80,000 miles in a circumnavigation of the African continent. Read the announcement
Here on The Road Chose Me you can read all about my ongoing adventure, see my photos and watch my videos.

You can also read back through my 40,000 mile, 22 month adventure in a Jeep Wrangler through 17 countries from Alaska to Argentina.